Sparks fly

Published: Friday, January 18, 2013 at 7:39 a.m.

Last Modified: Friday, January 18, 2013 at 7:39 a.m.

The "curly, twisty" light bulbs Duke Power sent to Alice Worley of Tuxedo had her and her daughter and son-in-law doing a little dance when one started popping. "We were watching TV, and one of those bulbs in the overhead light fixture started smoking, and then there was fire and sparks, until all of a sudden it just died," she says. "It put a scare into all of us. I guess I have to agree with the woman who said she isn't sold on the curly, twisty, energy-saving bulbs. I called Duke Power. I thought someone was stealing the wiring again, but it was the light bulb. When we removed it, the part that screws into the fixture had fried. A Duke employee came out, and I gave him the bulb, but he probably threw it away. I have a burned spot in the carpet because of those sparks, so I don't want any more of those bulbs in my house."

u

‘A PUBLIC MATTER': Richard Pope of Hendersonville says S.C. Gov. Nikki Haley is on top of what needs to be done in response to the massacre in Newtown, Conn. "She quite rightly says in reaction to the shooting rampage that the real issue isn't gun control but rather getting the mentally ill into mental health treatment and keeping them in treatment," he says. "Gov. Haley is right. New laws and new ways of thinking about the right way to treat the mentally ill are required if we are going to succeed in treating mental illness in this country. Our attitude has been that it is a private and personal decision on whether to seek treatment, but we must realize that since a person's mental illness can affect the public, treatment is a public matter."

u

‘ALWAYS WANTED TO': Mike Holmes of Campobello, S.C., tells about an old-timer who shuffled into town and was leading an old, tired mule. The old man headed straight for the only saloon in town to clear his dry throat. He walked up to the saloon and tied his old mule to the hitch rail. As he brushed dust from his face and clothes, a young gunslinger stepped out of the saloon with a gun in one hand and a bottle of whiskey in the other. The young gunslinger looked at the old man, laughed and then said, "Old man, have you ever danced?" The old man looked up at the gunslinger and said, "No, I never did dance. I never really wanted to." A crowd had gathered as the gunslinger grinned and said, "Well, you old fool, you're gonna dance now," and he started shooting at the old man's feet. The old-timer, not wanting to lose a toe, started hopping. Everybody was laughing. When his last bullet had been fired, the young gunslinger, still laughing, holstered his gun and turned around to go back into the saloon. The old man turned to his mule, pulled out a double-barrel shotgun and cocked both hammers. The loud clicks could be heard a block away. The crowd stopped laughing immediately. The young gunslinger heard the sounds, too, and he turned around very slowly. The crowd watched as the young gunman stared at the old-timer and the large holes of those twin barrels. The barrels of the shotgun never wavered in the old man's hands, as he quietly said, "Son, have you ever kissed a mule?" The gunslinger swallowed hard and said, "No, sir, but I've always wanted to."

u

LAST BUT NOT LEAST: Come on over to the Feed and Seed Listening Room on Saturday and enjoy the tales of storytellers who will keep us connected to each other as well as these beautiful Western North Carolina mountains. Best of all, it's a free event (donations will be accepted) for folks 10 and older and will take place from 3 to 5 p.m., and you will find Feed and Seed at 3715 Asheville Road in Fletcher. Ronnie Pepper and Sherry Lovett from the Asheville Storytelling Circle will treat folks to some marvelous tales. Mark your calendars for the next Feed and Seed storytelling scheduled for March 17 from 3 to 5 p.m., when other storytellers will perform. Their stories are suitable for the entire family, especially anyone over 10 years old.

<p>The "curly, twisty" light bulbs Duke Power sent to Alice Worley of Tuxedo had her and her daughter and son-in-law doing a little dance when one started popping. "We were watching TV, and one of those bulbs in the overhead light fixture started smoking, and then there was fire and sparks, until all of a sudden it just died," she says. "It put a scare into all of us. I guess I have to agree with the woman who said she isn't sold on the curly, twisty, energy-saving bulbs. I called Duke Power. I thought someone was stealing the wiring again, but it was the light bulb. When we removed it, the part that screws into the fixture had fried. A Duke employee came out, and I gave him the bulb, but he probably threw it away. I have a burned spot in the carpet because of those sparks, so I don't want any more of those bulbs in my house."</p><p>u</p><p>'A PUBLIC MATTER': Richard Pope of Hendersonville says S.C. Gov. Nikki Haley is on top of what needs to be done in response to the massacre in Newtown, Conn. "She quite rightly says in reaction to the shooting rampage that the real issue isn't gun control but rather getting the mentally ill into mental health treatment and keeping them in treatment," he says. "Gov. Haley is right. New laws and new ways of thinking about the right way to treat the mentally ill are required if we are going to succeed in treating mental illness in this country. Our attitude has been that it is a private and personal decision on whether to seek treatment, but we must realize that since a person's mental illness can affect the public, treatment is a public matter."</p><p>u</p><p>'ALWAYS WANTED TO': Mike Holmes of Campobello, S.C., tells about an old-timer who shuffled into town and was leading an old, tired mule. The old man headed straight for the only saloon in town to clear his dry throat. He walked up to the saloon and tied his old mule to the hitch rail. As he brushed dust from his face and clothes, a young gunslinger stepped out of the saloon with a gun in one hand and a bottle of whiskey in the other. The young gunslinger looked at the old man, laughed and then said, "Old man, have you ever danced?" The old man looked up at the gunslinger and said, "No, I never did dance. I never really wanted to." A crowd had gathered as the gunslinger grinned and said, "Well, you old fool, you're gonna dance now," and he started shooting at the old man's feet. The old-timer, not wanting to lose a toe, started hopping. Everybody was laughing. When his last bullet had been fired, the young gunslinger, still laughing, holstered his gun and turned around to go back into the saloon. The old man turned to his mule, pulled out a double-barrel shotgun and cocked both hammers. The loud clicks could be heard a block away. The crowd stopped laughing immediately. The young gunslinger heard the sounds, too, and he turned around very slowly. The crowd watched as the young gunman stared at the old-timer and the large holes of those twin barrels. The barrels of the shotgun never wavered in the old man's hands, as he quietly said, "Son, have you ever kissed a mule?" The gunslinger swallowed hard and said, "No, sir, but I've always wanted to."</p><p>u</p><p>LAST BUT NOT LEAST: Come on over to the Feed and Seed Listening Room on Saturday and enjoy the tales of storytellers who will keep us connected to each other as well as these beautiful Western North Carolina mountains. Best of all, it's a free event (donations will be accepted) for folks 10 and older and will take place from 3 to 5 p.m., and you will find Feed and Seed at 3715 Asheville Road in Fletcher. Ronnie Pepper and Sherry Lovett from the Asheville Storytelling Circle will treat folks to some marvelous tales. Mark your calendars for the next Feed and Seed storytelling scheduled for March 17 from 3 to 5 p.m., when other storytellers will perform. Their stories are suitable for the entire family, especially anyone over 10 years old.</p>